Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Director: Rob Marshall

Time Out rating

Average user rating

29 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Far be it for us to accuse the Walt Disney company of making a fourth ‘Pirates’ movie strictly for the money. But the experience of sitting through this latest flogged cash cow in the already overexposed comedy adventure series feels more like tracking stock figures than watching a piece of family entertainment. Every frame feels laboured, every gag tired, every action set piece familiar, every performance phoned in.

Johnny Depp is back in the headscarf and eyeliner as Captain Jack Sparrow, whose search for the Fountain of Youth has foundered for no specific reason. Finding himself in London for no specific reason, he soon falls in with ex-lover Angelica (Penélope Cruz), who is masquerading as Sparrow for no specific reason. Together they set off for the fountain, pursued by Geoffrey Rush’s peg-legged Barbossa, who has joined the British navy for no specific reason.

‘On Stranger Tides’ is a film which seems so loaded with contempt for its audience that it expects us not to notice or care that the characters have no clear motivation, that entire scenes have no reason for existing and that for much of the film we don’t even know what continent we’re on. It’s a film where our heroes can escape a trap by simply pulling a lever and dropping through the floor, where a character can dive into a hole in the ground and pop up in an entirely different part of the story. A film, in other words, without tension, momentum or resonance.

For some, this may be a step up from the wilful psychedelic idiocy of ‘At World’s End’, the previous film in the series. But at least that had imagination: ‘On Stranger Tides’ is simply lifeless, a reductive, insulting moneymaking exercise with as much charm and depth as a slot machine.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2126, May 18 – 24, 2011

Email Tweet Share

User reviews of this film

Real brain power on dsiap said...

Posted on Jan 24 2012 01:37 Real brain power on dsiaply. Thanks for that answer!

Report as inappropriate
Whoa, whoa, get out the w said...

Posted on Aug 22 2011 05:27 Whoa, whoa, get out the way with that good ifnromation.

Report as inappropriate
fingers said...

Posted on Jun 29 2011 20:45 Sack the critic, how can you be a film critic and hate films so much? Sort it out Mr. H, life's not that bad!

Report as inappropriate
Acole said...

Posted on Jun 25 2011 17:27 Shame, Disney should have been satisfied with 1 & 2, 3 was far fetched and tedious & 4 was downright awful. Johhny Depp doing the same things yet again with a worn out script and tired samey antics. I can only hope he bows out now and doesnt get involved in a muted POTC 5, which would stereotype him ( wrongly) forever. Dont waste your money.

Report as inappropriate
cryogenyx said...

Posted on Jun 15 2011 11:06 Johnny Depp brought the first POTC alive with the originality and scene-stealing charisma of his character, but now we're so familiar with it, his Sparrow schtick isn't really what this film needs to make it work. Geoffrey Rush nailed it as peg-leg Barbossa and was the best thing in the film for me, delivering exactly what a lame comedy-adventure-fantasy script needs to make it engaging for over two hours. Maybe he should have directed it?! or chosen the rest of the cast. Keith Richards' cameo was an irrelevant conceit: Jackie Chan and Jim Carrey, however, could have fitted in nicely and perked it up a bit...

Report as inappropriate
NettaUk said...

Posted on Jun 09 2011 10:01 To Scott.For those of us who enjoyed PotC4,I'm sure no one could have put it better,and you reiterate my thoughts on the "crtic"(?!).

Report as inappropriate
scott said...

Posted on Jun 09 2011 09:39 in the minority again mr Huddlestone--------why do you hate movies so much?? its such a shame-- every one has an opinion for sure,,but to have a job that by its very definition determines that you must 'criticise' a movie(critic) leaves you disecting scenes and plots and characters---and in a Disney film !!!!!???? while the rest of us kick back ,munch our snacks and take in the experience--- just lighten up man--this is a pirate film !!!!! not the watergate scandal !!!!! those of you out there who go to the cinema to escape will enjoy this fun piece of cinema for what it is--MR H????? I empathise--when your passion becomes your job it sanotises the pleasure I'm afraid !!!!

Report as inappropriate
Sahil Nain said...

Posted on May 29 2011 13:01 Its just amazing
Its Better than The first three movies of the pirates

Report as inappropriate
quite happy filmgoer said...

Posted on May 27 2011 21:03 I quite enjoyed this - it's much better than 2 or 3. The CGI in the last two spoiled them, and there's not so much of it here (or maybe they've just perfected it). But I saw the 2D version, and noticed that there were a lot of aerial shots flying over forests and precipices, and I thought they'd added them in for the 3D showings. I'm sort of fed up of 3D, and it annoyed me that live action films (that don't actually work very well in 3D) are being made with 3D scenes built in. All that happens in 3D live action movies is they look a bit dull, because the glasses are dark. I've only seen maybe three really good live action 3D movies - Superman Returns and a couple of Harry Potters, which I saw on an IMAX screen. You really felt you could reach out and touch the characters. Anyway 3D rant aside, I thought this was entertaining and what you'd expect from this kind of film.

Report as inappropriate
NettaUk said...

Posted on May 26 2011 07:33 Sack the critic! Johnny and co did it again.Box office,record opening.

Report as inappropriate
billy james said...

Posted on May 26 2011 07:22 like it love gemma and johnny and all his cool movies like rango

Report as inappropriate
Slim said...

Posted on May 25 2011 17:42 It's the 'Royal Navy' not the 'British Navy,' for no specific reason.

Report as inappropriate
Jo said...

Posted on May 25 2011 00:10 Good entertaining fun. I saw POTC ! and missed 2 and 3. No it isn't as good as No.1 but it's still jolly good entertainment. No-one's pretending it's Oscar winning material. Johnny Depp is great, as ever, there are loads of laughs, and it kept me awake which is a rare feat these days. My friend and I came out of the cinema with grins on our faces, feeling like we'd had a good evening's entertainment. Ignore Time Out's cynical review. They've got a bee in their bonnet unnecessarily in this instance.

Report as inappropriate
Marsellus said...

Posted on May 23 2011 09:07 Tedious, unfunny and worst of all, boring. Depp is no longer a guarantee of quality (see The Tourist) and has clearly started doing sub-par films for the paycheque. I actually fell asleep for about 5 minutes (which I never do) so I think that says it all.

Report as inappropriate
MovieFan said...

Posted on May 22 2011 21:11 You are either going to love this movie or hate it, I suppose! For me personally, if I only want to be distracted for two hours or so, I will probably buy a ticket to this movie. However, if and when I am in the mood for something deeper, I will probably wait for a while and then buy a ticket to for example *The Tree Of Life* when it comes to the local cinema!

Report as inappropriate